A Ride to the Valley of Death

[Tyler]

While the name carries such a heavy burden, Death Valley is so much more than what it appears to be... and it's very difficult to describe to someone who hasn't been there before... and since it had been several years since I'd visited, I thought it would be good to organize a trip there with about 50 of my closest friends...

After months of planning and waiting and watching the weather, the time had come for the Death Valley adventure! Two weeks earlier, there was snow and ice on the passes but things had warmed up for us with no precipitation in sight… thank you, Weather Gods! It was an early meet time in Hollister, 7am for coffee, so we could hit the road and have lots of time to traverse the roads ahead.

Morning glow bodes well…

We split up into a couple of like-minded paced groups and the first treat of the day was a local favorite, Hwy 25. The clouds were putting on a show for us and it was so wonderful to see green hills again after our multi-year drought.

We then headed out 198 to 101 and into Paso Robles for gas before heading into Creston for tons of fun on 229, aka Rossi’s Driveway… several folks hadn’t ever ridden it so it was decided to let them ride it out, turn around, and come back the other way… most times, just once isn’t enough… just a sample or two courtesy of a previous run I did… (I didn’t ride 229 this time around as I had rally points to get in Creston)…

 

[Tyler]

After lots of yee-haws, we took a break for lunch at the deli in Creston…

And then continued on out to Hwy 58… it was a great day and no traffic at all…

Alien-looking oil pumps littered the landscape outside of Bakersfield…

Stopped for gas in Taft… someone was a bit playful after all those fun roads…

And the ladies compared notes on bikes, gear, and riding styles…

 

[Tyler]

From Taft, the route took us on 166 and then a left onto a new road (for me anyway), Hudson Ranch Rd. which goes through the Los Padres National Forest and connects up at I5 in Frazier Park… it’s a wonderful road with lots of elevation and view changes… I was glad that we were hitting this road later in the day as there was snow in some spots but no ice or anything on the road… highly recommended!

Way above the smog/haze line…

And finally zipping along 138 and Tehachapi-Willow Springs Rd. as the sun started to set…

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Tehachapi… I arrived to find lots of friends in the parking lot, some had arrived earlier from other start points but there were lots of smiles in anticipation of the journey ahead… stopping off at Doug/bugnatr’s room, I found Bob/Intech, Janet/Spanky, and Bob’s brother Steven and his wife, Anna, who had all flown into Vegas and shown up on rented Wings… looked like a high school dance… girls on one side, boys on the other… :lol

We mosied across the street for dinner at T&K Pizza… if you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend this place. Not only is the pizza delicious but the customer service was above and beyond expectations… the manager, Tim, worked with me for a couple of weeks to reserve tables for 40+ people, started some pizzas so they’d be ready when we got there, and served others with salads and, of course, lots of brewskis… fantastic crew there!

After dinner, a few folks took advantage of the hot tub on site to soak those sore riding muscles and get ready for the next day’s adventure…

Next up – backroads to Death Valley!

 

[Niehart]

Always makes me smile to see this smiling face.

 

[Tyler]

The next morning dawned quite cool… at 7am, there was ice on the seats/bikes but someone still was in a cheery mood…

Bob was ready…

We had originally planned to leave at 8am but decided the night before to wait an extra hour to give the sun a chance to warm up the day and the roads… leaving Tehachapi, we skipped the direct route via the freeway and instead traversed another new road, Woodford-Tehachapi, a delightfully twisty road that takes you past the famed Tehachapi Loop…

A couple of pics from my friend, Michael Garza, who lay in wait for us…

Jeremy/cibrdown

Couldn’t find a good vantage point to get a good view of the Tehachapi Loop so I borrowed one from the neenernet…

No trains traversing it when we went by so hard to get the complexity and coolness of the loop…

 

[Tyler]

On we went to the next treat of the day – Caliente-Bodfish Rd. which had warmed up quite nicely under the morning sun and not too much debris or run off from prior storms…

Lake Isabella off in the distance… or maybe they should rename it Pond Isabella…

Continuing on along 178/Kern Canyon and then jetting up 395 with a stop in Olancha for gas and pretty decent sandwiches at the deli store… I pulled up and found myself a back seat hitchhiker who hopped on board before I could dismount…

The mountains in the distance as we left Olancha… I never tire of this view!

 

[Tyler]

Next was 190 into Panamint Springs, a wonderful sweeper-filled road down into the basin… I was having too much fun riding it so didn’t stop for photos although Michael took this one from a pulloff that you have to take a nasty dirt-rock-strewn path only made for 4-wheel drive or adventure bikes… I tried it and had to turn around because the Spyder’s clearance is too low and I was afraid I’d damage the bike…

Heading up over the first pass from Panamint to DV…

Once we got into the valley itself, we could already see signs of the wildflower bloom showing…

Some folks had decided to make a beeline for the hotel but a few of us decided to start out sightseeing early and headed for Artist Drive as the sun started to set…

Passing Furnace Creek Resort where the rich folk play…

Following along Badwater Rd…

Heading up Artist Drive where you can see the colors of the rock formations changing in front of you…

Stopping to soak in the view…

The really nice thing about this road is that it’s one way so no oncoming traffic to worry about… makes for fun when scooting into the dips located along the way…

And then Artist Pallette as the golden glow of the setting sun hit the rocks… you can see my shadow in the lower right hand corner…

Then it was our turn to make a beeline for the hotel… once that sun goes down, it starts to get cold pretty quickly… couldn’t get a clear shot but the sky was turning all kinds of pinks, purples, and blues as we headed through the desert…

We finally arrived at the hotel just after the sun set…

More to come soon…

 

[NTXFJR]

Wow, very nice!

 

[airboss]

Outstanding!

 

[airboss]

This guy.

Bob, how can you be so cheerful in the morning?

Me, I,m not a morning person.

https://vid43.photobucket.com/albums/e356/airboss11/Notamorningperson.mp4

 

[slatonp4]

Phenomenal. Wonderful photography.

Thanks for taking us along.

Waiting on the edge of my seat for more.

 

[Panman]

I'll be retired soon, just might have to tag along one of these days.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Tyler, amazing photos, as usual.

 

[Mudslide Miller]

Your last set of photos of DV are outstanding, Tyler!! As you said, the name does not match it's beauty. I never tire of looking at that amazing terrain. This one is worth framing.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Thanks T, looking forward to the next installment!

--G

 

[Mihalis fjr]

 

[hppants]

Awesome. You have quite a way with the camera, Ms T

Never thought much about Death Valley until about 15 minutes ago

More, please.

 

[Tyler]

This guy.
Bob, how can you be so cheerful in the morning?

He's like that all the time... well, except when he gets sick...

Phenomenal. Wonderful photography.
Thanks for taking us along.

Waiting on the edge of my seat for more.

Thanks, Paul... don't sit on the edge too long... you might hurt yourself.

Your last set of photos of DV are outstanding, Tyler!! As you said, the name does not match it's beauty. I never tire of looking at that amazing terrain. This one is worth framing.

Thanks but just a reminder that that beauty was taken by my friend, Michael Garza... I couldn't get out to that vantage point myself. B)

Awesome. You have quite a way with the camera, Ms T
Never thought much about Death Valley until about 15 minutes ago

More, please.

Thanks, Pants... DV is a really unique and special place... really difficult to explain unless you've been there...

 

[El Toro Joe]

Great pics and report Tyler

...more please.